He does and I see clearly what caught my attention just like the other day.
It’s a folder labelled Yelena G. Nikitin.
Yelena was Gabriella’s first name. She hated it and preferred her middle name Gabriella.
What the fuck is this now?
“What is it Aiden?”
“Give me the mouse.”
“Sure.”
I grab it from him and click into the folder, and fucking hell, the first thing I see is a picture of my dead wife.
Dominic’s already seen the only picture I have of her in my wallet, so he’s as stunned as I am.
The moment I see several folders labelled by year I know what Jude has done. So, when I click and see images of Gabriella from when she was a little girl, my blood boils and a stone drops in the pit of my stomach.
The motherfucker has the same set as what he has for Olivia.
Images galore of Gabriella over the years.
Jude Kuzmin knew her.
No… not just knew her.
He obsessed over her.
* * *
“Aiden, please don’t hold the baby like that,” Gabriella scolds.
“He likes it. Look at his little face.”
I’m lying on the sofa holding my son above me, swaying him from side to side so we can pretend he’s Superman.
My arms are outstretched like I’m doing a bench press.Unlike the heavyweights I lift, I’m holding one of the treasures in my world.The other is standing a few breaths away from us with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her pretty face.
As my boy smiles, the sight tames the beast inside me.
His eyes sparkle, and in them I see her.He has my girl’s eyes, but the rest of my one-month-old son is the perfect likeness to me.
Aleksei has the same dark brown hair, the same nose, and the same little mole on his chin.
“Aiden he’s going to throw up in your face.”
“Dover’tes’ mne,” I say in Russian, telling her to trust me.
“I do trust you. I just don’t think you’d like having puke in your face.I also don’t want the nightmare of imagining you flying around the house with our boy while I’m away.”
“He will not puke on his papa.” I laugh and bring Aleksei down to settle on my chest.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Gabriella yawns.
She’s exhausted and has been every day since Aleksei was born.I can see it all over her face and the sag in her shoulders.Yet, no matter what time of day or night it is, she insists on being superwoman and multitasking so she can take care of the baby and run her business at the salon.
She doesn’t need to work. Most men in the Brotherhood don’t allow their wives to work, let alone own their own businesses, but it’s important to her so I allow it.